


True parents keep you grounded

by lelianasong



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canonical Child Abuse, Found Family, Gen, Hurt Peter Quill, Kid Peter Quill, Parent Kraglin Obfonteri, Parent Yondu Udonta, Peter Quill Needs a Hug, Peter gets beat up but nothing too terrible happens, Yondu is a GREAT dad and so is Kraglin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 04:30:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14709132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lelianasong/pseuds/lelianasong
Summary: Taserface takes his abuse of Peter too far, and Yondu reacts accordingly. Peter is left with his emotions all bottled up inside his chest, and as Yondu knows from experience, that's the last place you want them to be.





	True parents keep you grounded

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly I'd like to apologise to readers from the USA for any grammar/spelling issues in dialogue! I'm from England so we type differently, but I always try to use American spelling when writing an American character, and if I've missed out anywhere please let me know!
> 
> Secondly this is absolutely ooc and pure FLUFF, just another entry into my found family obsession and I shan't apologise for it ever

Yondu knew his boy had never been good at controlling his emotions, hell, he probably learnt that from him. Peter was always rattled by members of the crew laughing at him, making jabs at him, and got especially angry when one of them tried to snatch his precious walkman. When the kid first came aboard he kicked, bit, and scratched anyone that tried to touch him - it took the combined efforts of Yondu holding him still and Kraglin sticking the needle in to get his universal translator up and working, and even then Yondu came away with several bite marks up his arms. But that sort of anger was healthy for a ravager in training, it meant he weren’t gonna take shit lying down. Yondu had always encouraged Peter to fight back if anyone tried any funny business. But sometimes (a lot of the time, if not every time) the kid got a little too worked up, and when you’re on a ship floating through space with a whole bunch of blood thirsty thieves antagonising you, that’s the last thing you want to be.

 

“Captain!” Someone shouted from the hall outside Yondu’s quarters. Yondu immediately moved to the door, opening it to see Oblo running towards him. “There’s a fight, _big one_ , lil’ Peter’s in it-”

 

That was all Yondu needed to hear. He jerked his head for Oblo to show him, and the two ran up to the bridge, where a large group of crew stood huddled in a circle, cheering. Yondu pushed through, quickly getting to the centre to see something he never wanted to see again. Peter, face bloodied and eye bruised, hunched on the floor, tears streaming from his eyes and screaming at Taserface, who was being held back by the combined forces of Kraglin and Tullk. The ugly fucker was bleeding from his nose, which definitely looked broken, and held in his hand Peter’s walkman.

 

“GIVE IT BACK, YOU ASSHOLE!” Those words didn’t half seem weird coming from an eight year olds mouth, but the look on Peter’s face clearly showed he meant it.

 

“C’mon ya idiot, give the kid back his music,” Kraglin growled, trying to bend Taserface’s arm to grab at the thing, but he held it too high.

 

Taserface clearly hadn’t noticed Yondu standing there, because he said, “If Yondu’s bitch wants his damn music he’ll have to come at take it!”

 

A high pitched whistle silenced the room instantly. The arrow remained steadily between Taserface’s eyes, who suddenly didn’t look so brave. Kraglin stepped away and moved towards Peter, helping him to his feet. Yondu gave the kid a quick once over. Nothing seemed to be broken, but he was shaking like a leaf, even with Kraglin’s arms around him. Yondu stepped between the two, looking at Taserface.

 

“What the hell did you just say?” Yondu said softly. The men around them quickly backed up, not wanting to get between the arrow and its intended target. Tullk even stepped back, glancing at the walkman still in Taserface’s hand.

 

“I-I-uh-”

 

Yondu held out his hand. Taserface visibly gulped, dropping the walkman into his grasp. Without breaking eye contact, he passed it to Peter, who snatched it and held it close to his chest.

 

“I asked you a question. What the hell _did you just say_?” Yondu could hear Peter’s heavy breathing behind him.

 

“I said, uh, if Yondu’s…” Taserface was shaking so hard he could barely get the words out. His eyes darted between the Captain and the crowd, willing anyone to intervene on his behalf.

 

“Oblo!” Yondu barked. The man in question stepped forward obediently. “Tell me what this asshole just said, word for word.”

 

“He said, ‘If Yondu’s bitch wants his damn music he’ll have to come at take it’, sir.” Oblo recited stiffly. Yondu gritted his teeth.

 

“Insinuatin’ shit like that, are ya Taserface?” Yondu stepped forward, shortening the distance between the two. “You thinkin’ I’d do that to a kid? Hmm?”

 

“N-no, Captain, I…” Taserface looked towards Gef, who decisively looked at the ceiling. “I didn’t mean nothing by it, sir, I swear!”

 

“First ya steal from another ravager,” he jerked his head towards Peter. “Then ya start beatin’ on him, despite the fact he’s a damn kid, and then to top off your stupid ideas, you go ahead and say _that_!”

 

Yondu didn’t let him reply. With a whistle, the yaka arrow shot straight through his leg, bringing him down to the floor with a scream.

 

“Take Peter to the Captain’s quarters, now,” He hissed. Kraglin was quick to obey, lifting Peter up into his arms despite his shaking, and walked swiftly away from the massacre that was surely about to happen.

 

Peter buried his face in Kraglin’s neck, trying his best to stifle his tears. Kraglin patted his back gently as they approached Yondu’s room. When he entered the passcode and the door slid open, he placed Peter carefully on the floor. “Go to the bathroom, kid, let’s try ta get some o’ that blood of yer face.”

 

Peter obediently stomped towards the bathroom as Kraglin dug around in a draw, pulling out anything that would be relatively helpful. He was pretty useless with first-aid, it was usually Yondu that patched the kid up when he got himself hurt, so until he got back from either killing or seriously maiming Taserface, the kid would just have to settle for him. Kraglin went into the bathroom to see Peter staring at his own reflection, suddenly squeamish at the blood.

 

“Hey,” Kraglin tapped the back of his head for him to turn around. “Sit yerself down, let’s get you nice and purty again.”

 

He filled the basin with warm water and soaked a (mostly clean) rag, squeezing it out before rubbing the smears of blood from Peter’s face. “He gotcha good huh?” Peter didn’t respond. “Is alright, Pete, ya got him back just as good. Crew all saw that.” The kid looked up at him with a small smile.

  
“For real?”

 

“For real,” Kraglin returned the expression. He dabbed at the wound under Peter’s eye, making him hiss at the pain. “Ya feel dizzy at all? Or like yer gonna throw up?”

 

“Kinda,” Peter whispered, closing his eyes to try to block out the pain.

 

“Might be a lil’ concussed, but that ain’t nothing a good ol’ nap down won’t fix.”

 

“Is Yondu gonna kill Taserface?” Peter asked suddenly. Kraglin hesitated before answering.

 

“I honestly don’t know, kid,” He said. “Might do, what he said about you and the Captain weren’t an acceptable thing ta say.”

 

“Is it my fault?” Kraglin fully froze at that. “If I’d not started hitting at Taserface when he took my walkman-”

 

“Ya did exactly the right thing, Pete, what anyone else woulda done. Someone takes your shit then you fight for it back, ‘specially if it’s something as precious to you as that music box.”

 

Peter looked down at the walkman in his hands. It didn’t look damaged, sure the headphoned were a little bent but he’d done that before on accident and had been able to fix them.

 

“Peter,” Kraglin poked at his chin, making him look up. “Don’t you think for one second anything Taserface did was your fault. Ya hear me?”

 

“I hear ya.” Peter responded softly.

 

“If someone took the Captain’s arrow, d’ya think he’d ask nicely for it back?” Peter giggled slightly at that, picturing Yondu gazing at Taserface with puppy-dog eyes, saying ‘pretty please’. “Nah, o’ course not.”

 

The door to the Captain’s rooms slid open, and Yondu stepped through, holding that very arrow between his fingers. Peter suddenly looked very nervous. Kraglin wiped the last of the blood from his face and squeezed the rag out into the basin. He pressed it against the open wound, taking Peter’s hand and making him hold it there. “Keep pressure on that. C’mon,” he said, taking Peter’s other hand and leading him to the bed. The kid hopped up, eyes trained on the floor as Kraglin approached Yondu.

 

“He’s dealt with,” The Captain said, sliding the arrow back into it’s holster. Kraglin looked at it, seeing blood stain the tip.

 

“Kid thinks it’s his fault,” Kraglin said quietly. Yondu raised his eyebrows, glancing at the kid who was looking miserably at the floor. “Cleaned him up the best I could, Sir, says he’s feelin’ dizzy and sick.”

 

“Good work, Kraglin,” Yondu clapped him on the shoulder. “Tullk’s got everything covered upstairs, stay and help me here.”

 

“Yes, sir.” Kraglin nodded. The pair walked carefully over to Peter, careful not to agitate him. Kraglin fetched the pile of medical stuff he’d found and passed it to Yondu, who perched himself next to Peter on the bed.

 

“Hey, son.” Yondu tapped his finger against Peter’s head gently. “Think ya can look at me?”

 

Peter didn’t move, but then slowly turned his head to face his Captain. “Did you kill him?” He asked bluntly.

 

“I did.” Yondu responded, equally as blunt. He didn’t want to sugarcoat it, not when they were surrounded by death on a regular basis. Crew member spoke out of turn, said something like _that_ about another crew member? Not on Yondu’s ship. “But that ain’t your fault, not in the least bit, d’ya hear me?”

 

“Kraglin said it weren’t,” Peter mumbled.

 

“Kraglin knows what he’s talkin’ about, kid.” Yondu reached out and hoisted Peter properly on to the bed, so he faced him. He gestured for his first mate to sit behind the kid, so Peter had someone to lean on. “Now let’s get ya patched up before ya face gets stuck like that.”

 

He unscrewed the bottle of antiseptic and poured some onto the cloth, then gently wiped at the cut under Peter’s eye. The kid hiccuped a small cry at the sting, but otherwise remained still. Yondu worked as quickly as he could at cleaning the wound, then placed a plaster over it to keep it covered. Peter remained quiet through the process, shifting only on occasion. That’s how Yondu knew something was wrong. When he saw Peter on the floor earlier, he was spitting with rage, shaking with clear unbridled fury. That kinda shit didn’t just disappear. Yondu knew the kid was keeping it all in, probably from the shock of the situation, but the Captain knew from first hand experience that keeping it all in was the worst thing you could do, as it always ended in it coming out at the worst possible moment, leaving you vulnerable. Yondu wouldn’t let his Peter be vulnerable.

 

“Hey, Pete?” He asked softly. The kid looked up hazily. Yondu felt slightly bad at forcing him to stay awake, but it was better to do this now than in the morning, when the shit that happened would have started to settle in his mind. “I need ya ta tell me what happened.”

 

“What’s it matter?” Peter asked with a frown. “He’s already dead.”

 

“I wanna know what he did to get ya so angry. I’ve never seen ya so red, son.” Yondu set the medical supplies aside. “You wanna be a good fighter when yer older, yeah? That means you gotta regulate yer anger. Now, I ain’t expecting that o’ ya today, or this year cycle, or another five even. But ya can learn about teamwork now, and teamwork means ya can talk to me, or Kraglin, or anyone else ya trust, and we can help ya work it out.”

 

Peter blinked up at him, his eyes glassed over. Kraglin rubbed at his arms softly, the kids back pressed up against his chest.

 

“It’s true, Petey,” He said, tone equal to Yondu’s. “You’ll get yerself all stirred up if ya don’t get someone ta help.”

 

Peter was silent for a good minute, the two men waiting for him to speak. Then, he said, “He made fun of my momma.”

 

“What did he say?” Yondu prompted. Peter rubbed harshly at his eyes, trying to quell the tears.

 

“He said-” The poor kid choked on a sob. “He said she was glad to die to get rid of me. He took my walkman, a-and said he was gonna smash it unless I said that my momma hated me.”

 

“What a fucking asshole.” Yondu hissed. He looked at Kraglin. “You hear him say that?”

 

“No sir, I ran over when I saw he had the music box. Arrived just as he knocked Petey ‘round the face.” Kraglin’s expression was hard.

 

“Where’s yer walkman now?” Yondu asked. Peter frowned, looking at his hands to find them empty.

 

“Musta left it in the bathroom,” Kraglin said with forced calm. “I’ll get it.”

 

Yondu held his arms out for Peter, who carefully slid off Kraglin’s lap and into the open embrace at Kraglin marched to retrieve the item he’d fought Taserface tooth and nail for. Yondu sat him on his leg, shoulder pressed against his chest. Kraglin returned, fiddling with the headphones in his hand. He carefully adjusted them, working out the bend until it was back into its regular shape, before handing it to Peter who looked two seconds away from either bursting into tears or falling asleep.

 

“Look at me, son.” Yondu said softly. Peter did. “Now I didn’t ever get the chance to meet yer momma. But I know she loved ya, she musta done. Look at what she gave ya.” He nodded at the walkman. “On some planets it’s considered the biggest show o’ love to give someone music. I don’t know much about Terra, but I reckon it’s like that there too.”

 

Peter blinked up at him with such adoration and hope in his eyes, Yondu’s heart seemed to skip a beat. Those big baby blues would be the death of him. Without warning, the kids face scrunched up into a wailing sob. He threw his hands around Yondu and buried his face in his neck, releasing the anguished screams that had built up in his chest. Fury at Taserface’s words, the shock from being beaten up and almost losing his most precious possession, and lastly, the realisation that perhaps, after feeling alone since his mother died, he’d found a new home.

 

Yondu shut his eyes as he rocked Peter, one hand stroking through his hair and the other rubbing the small of his back. Even Kraglin, who had never so much as shed a tear since coming aboard the Eclector, seemed to be sniffing back his emotion. He moved to sit next to Yondu, reaching out one arm to curl around Peter and resting his forehead against the boys shoulder.

 

“It’s alright son, we gotcha.”  Yondu soothed. “We gotcha.”

 

The trio sat like that for an unknowable amount of time. Peter continued to cry his heart out into Yondu’s neck until the tears started to slow, and his breathing began to even out. Kraglin lifted his head slowly and looked at Peter’s face.

 

“He’s asleep.” He whispered. Yondu winced as he moved his stiff legs out, adjusting Peter in his arms to hold him against his elbow. His face was stained with bruises and tears, and his eyes were likely to itch something awful when he woke up. But Yondu knew he’d feel much better for letting it out.

 

“Cap’n?” Kraglin whispered. “Would you mind if I, uh, if I-”

 

“Ya can stay here, Kraglin.” Yondu grinned back. “I didn’t work so hard on fixin’ his face up just so nobody would see it.”

 

Silence fell between the pair as Yondu used his free hand to pull back the covers on the bed. He pulled Peter’s boots off one by one and carefully maneuvered him out of his jacket. His shirt was slightly blood stained down the front, but it had dried, and he didn’t want the boy to get cold. He slid Peter under the covers in the middle of the bed and pulled them up to his chin. Peter curled up into a ball, walkman clutched against his chest, his face peaceful. Yondu and Kraglin pulled their own boots and jackets off and slid in either side of the kid, effectively tucking him tight between them. Yondu slid the yaka arrow out of its pouch and placed it safely on the side table as he always did, just in case.

 

“Captain,” Kraglin couldn’t help but smile as Peter yawned and flung a hand out to clutch at his shirt. “I think we accidentally adopted a tiny Terran kid.”  

 

“Oh shit,” Yondu grinned back, leaning back on the pillows and closing his eyes to sleep. “Now how in the hell did that happen?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> oh my fucking god he fucking dead 
> 
> guess GOTG2 can't happen now!!!! oops!!!!


End file.
